Thank you for 100 Powerstones, Here is the Bonus chapter!, Next Goal is 200 PS!
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Hearing the man introduce himself, Leo's eyelid twitched. Remembering that the research facility he'd used had "Stark" in its name, a bad feeling rose in his chest. He said, "I don't think I know you, sir."
"Is that so? Well, I think Nurse will recognize me," Howard smiled slightly, pointing at the orb that had rolled out from behind Leo's door.
A feverish light flashed in his eyes he could hardly wait to study this miraculous piece of tech.
Seeing Nurse roll up behind him on its little wheel-feet, Leo gave the unhelpful sphere a light kick. Looking at Howard's amused expression, he understood: somehow, Howard had discovered that he'd "borrowed" materials at the lab to build Nurse Howard even knew the machine's name.
There was no point denying it. Warier now, Leo asked, "So what is it you want this time, Mr. Stark? Call the police and have me arrested?"
"No, no," Howard waved a hand. "How could they ever catch someone with your… remarkable gifts?"
Leo's pupils narrowed. So, Howard had also discovered his mutant ability. He was about to reply when Howard continued, "Well then, Mr. Leo, won't you invite me to sit?"
"Hello, Mr. Stark—your coffee," Paul came out with a steaming cup, having gone to prepare it when Howard first arrived. Seeing Howard still standing in the doorway, he turned to Leo, half-reproachful: "You're making Mr. Stark stand there? That's terribly rude."
"Come in," Leo said, out of options.
Satisfied, Howard twitched his mustache and told the two impassive bodyguards behind him, "Wait for me outside." Then he followed Leo into the living room.
"I'll leave you two to talk," Paul smiled once they'd sat, giving them space as he left the room.
Howard might be proud and aloof, but he wasn't socially tone-deaf. Noticing the caution on Leo's face, he softened his tone. "Mr. Leo, relax. I'm not here with bad intentions. Yes, some of the materials you used were rather rare, but for me, they're nothing to fuss over."
"Then what did you come for?"
"When I called Nurse by name, I'm sure you guessed it. That's right—I've already reviewed the surveillance footage of Nurse's construction and functions."
"Surveillance footage…" Leo froze a moment. Hall had told him the relevant camera footage was deleted.
"Hall only knew about one set of cameras," Howard said, stroking his mustache with a smug little flourish.
Leo's eyes showed a flash of realization. "So you're here… for Nurse?"
"Oh no—more precisely, I'm here for you. I'm a great inventor myself. I want to invite you to join Stark Industries, so you and I can study this extraordinary science together," Howard said, eyes full of expectation.
Leo blinked, about to answer, when Emma walked in on tired feet, having been out all night.
"He won't accept," she said evenly, "because he's about to become the owner of AIO Group."
"Emma… Leo… AIO Group." Leo paused, then immediately understood the name's meaning.
Interrupted, Howard turned, ready to snap then he saw Emma's stunning face. His anger vanished at once, replaced by a charming smile. "Might I be fortunate enough to invite the beautiful young lady to dinner?"
"I'm not interested in old men."
Ouch!
Howard turned to stone. In his mind, the words "old man" echoed again and again.
Emma sat gracefully opposite him. Watching Howard's dazed expression, she smiled slightly. "Leo won't join Stark Industries. However, AIO Group can cooperate with Stark Industries."
"Oh? A bold proposal," Howard said. He understood her point instantly.
"You can call me Emma," she replied with poised warmth.
Watching the two spar with words, Leo was dumbstruck. He'd never realized Emma had such a gift for business negotiations.
Half an hour later, Emma and Howard finally reached an agreement and wrapped up the conversation. Howard stood, smiling.
"Then, Mr. Leo see you tomorrow." With that, he left Leo's home.
As the door closed, Leo wore a wounded look. One term of the deal was that he would go work with Howard the next day. "You just sold me off like that? I thought you'd use your powers on him and be done with it."
"How can you call it selling you? You're the key piece that makes the deal possible. Besides, I did test my ability on him just now but for some reason, he seems able to block me." Emma's tone was matter-of-fact.
Just outside, Howard absently tapped his watch and murmured, "Good thing I prepared a psi-shield in advance."
"He can block your ability?" Leo was taken aback.
"Enough about that. Let me tell you the terms I negotiated with Mr. Stark," Emma said, excitement creeping into her voice—this was her first real success.
"I trust you, Emma. Do it your way. For now, go rest you were up all night."
"Thank you, Leo," she said softly, then, at his urging, returned to her room.
When the door clicked shut, Leo looked down at Nurse, which had been trailing him the whole time. He scooped the orb up and stared into its wide, dopey eyes. In a low voice he said, "This works out too. Now I can openly build my suit. I still need armor to conceal my other identity and avoid trouble don't you think so, Nurse?"
Nurse blinked with its big round eyes, still as adorably blank as ever. Leo smiled, set the orb down, pulled the black half-mask from his jacket, and fitted it over his face. His figure flickered and vanished.
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